Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

performance

Why the Automotive Future is Electric

by

With the global automotive market shifting towards electrification at an unprecedented rate, electric cars or EVs are slated to become the next generation of personal transportation.

By 2040, an estimated 40 million units of EVs are expected to hit the roads, essentially replacing the IC engine. Several manufacturers have already shifted their focus on EV platforms and the latest entry into the segment is the Mazda MX-30, the company’s first all-electric offering.

Taking the MX-30 as an example, we can see how far the EV industry has come over the years. Mixing style and practicality with its rear-hinged doors, the 2022 MX-30 is as good as a modern EV can get. [Read more…] about Why the Automotive Future is Electric

ASTM forms new robotics group to develop standards for grasping and manipulation technologies

by

ASTM International’s committee on robotics, automation, and autonomous systems (F45) has formed a new subcommittee on grasping and manipulation.

This new subcommittee (F45.05) of ASTM (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials) will develop standards that evaluate performance in several major areas of robotic manipulation.

The first three task groups of the committee will develop standards for performance of grasping type end-effectors, mobile manipulators, and robotic assembly systems, covering their use in both fixed and mobile base systems. [Read more…] about ASTM forms new robotics group to develop standards for grasping and manipulation technologies

Celera Motion launches ‘world’s smallest, fastest servo drive’

by

Celera Motion, a business unit of Novanta, has launched what it says is “the world’s smallest and fastest servo drive”.

The new Everest S, the latest addition to the popular Everest Series, is about 30 percent smaller than its predecessor, making it the world’s smallest servo drive. It’s also the fastest: The EtherCAT and CANopen versions deliver bus latency reduced to 1 cycle, making Everest S the fastest servo drive on the market today.

The Everest S includes all the best features of other Everest servo drives – plus it now also includes Dual BiSS-C feedback support, a highly sought-after feature. [Read more…] about Celera Motion launches ‘world’s smallest, fastest servo drive’

ICE Cobotics chooses IoT system from T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom

by

ICE Cobotics has chosen T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom’s T IoT as its exclusive IoT connectivity solution worldwide to help its customers more easily manage fleets of the company’s floor cleaning robots.

As part of the long-term agreement, T IoT – a comprehensive solution for global IoT connectivity, platform management and support – will deliver cellular connectivity to more than 7,500 new and existing ICE Cobotics intelligent and autonomous cleaning units across the world.

This includes their newest product, Cobi 18, a compact autonomous floor scrubber which is designed to clean 5,000 to 7,000 square feet per hour, starting at less than $20 a day. [Read more…] about ICE Cobotics chooses IoT system from T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom

Liminal launches automated system for battery inspection in manufacturing

by

Liminal, a specialist in electric vehicle battery manufacturing intelligence, has launched its EchoStat platform, a fully-automated commercial-ready manufacturing inspection solution based on ultrasound and machine learning.

Scheduled to be fully operational in 2023, this in-process inspection innovation is a groundbreaking, critical advancement toward helping EV battery manufacturers achieve the accelerated production ramp rates and cost reduction required to catalyze EV adoption at scale.

EchoStat’s core technology has been validated across 50 different cell types by six EV OEMs and seven cell manufacturers.

Anders Thor, director of communications at Northvolt, says: “We see potential in the automated EchoStat platform, enabling in-process control of saturation quality and prediction of cell performance and cycle life. The in-line inspection solution provides opportunities to improve manufacturing efficiency, saving resource, cost and time.” [Read more…] about Liminal launches automated system for battery inspection in manufacturing

MicroVision’s lidar solution now supported on Nvidia’s autonomous vehicle platform

by

MicroVision, a maker of MEMS-based solid-state automotive lidar and advanced driver-assistance systems, says its Mavin DR dynamic view lidar system is now supported on the Nvidia Drive AGX platform.

Mavin DR, MicroVision’s lidar sensor featuring a dynamic field of view, delivers high resolution at all ranges and with low latency, enabling new ADAS safety features to achieve true highway-pilot functionality that OEMs demand.

Nvidia Drive AGX is a scalable, open, centralized software-defined compute platform that serves as the AI brain for highly automated and fully self-driving vehicles. [Read more…] about MicroVision’s lidar solution now supported on Nvidia’s autonomous vehicle platform

ESA marks first steps of new robot in space

by

While the world eagerly awaits the launch of a spacecraft to the Moon, a robot quietly reaches yet another milestone in space. The newest robotic arm outside the International Space Station woke up, stretched and moved a payload effortlessly from one side to the other of the Nauka science module.

The European Robotic Arm (ERA) successfully completed the first transfer following commands from cosmonauts inside the Space Station last week. Teams in Moscow, Russia and at ESA’s control room in the Netherlands monitored the moves, where the image above was taken by the European team on console on 24 August.

This first motion involved unleashing the payload – a single pin latch and its adapter for the cosmonaut support tool – from Nauka, moving it to the other side of the module and then installing it back to the original position. [Read more…] about ESA marks first steps of new robot in space

Lenovo unveils foldable tablet computer

by

Lenovo has unveiled a foldable tablet computer, the likes of which have so far only been seen in science fiction.

Lenovo says its next-generation ThinkPad X1 Fold “redefines the foldable PC category” that the company claims to have created in 2020.

The new ThinkPad X1 Fold is designed to offer full PC performance with a larger screen area, while maintaining the ultra-portability that the original ground-breaking device offered. [Read more…] about Lenovo unveils foldable tablet computer

SICK and Aeva partner to bring 4D LiDAR to industrial sensing applications

by

Aeva, a leader in next-generation sensing and perception systems, and SICK announced a strategic multi-year collaboration to bring Aeva’s Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) 4D LiDAR to a variety of industrial sensing applications including long-range sensing, starting with Aeries II.

Dr Niels Syassen, member of the board responsible for technology and digitization at SICK, says: “We are pleased to partner with Aeva and work closely together to bring its FMCW technology to high performance industrial sensing applications.

“We are convinced that their unique approach to FMCW technology, which includes instant velocity detection and long-range performance, will provide new opportunities for us and our customers in a variety of industrial sensing applications where traditional time of flight LiDAR technologies are challenged.” [Read more…] about SICK and Aeva partner to bring 4D LiDAR to industrial sensing applications

Embark Trucks completes autonomous vehicle testing in snowy conditions

by

Embark Trucks, a developer of autonomous technology for the trucking industry, says it has successfully completed on-road testing in snowy conditions in Montana, USA.

The testing, which Embark announced earlier this year, was conducted to demonstrate the performance and safety of Embark’s patent-pending Vision Map Fusion (VMF) technology in geographies that experience severe winter weather.

Results from the testing demonstrate that in approximately 90 percent of runs through the snowy conditions under study – which could result in delays for HD map-based autonomous driving systems – VMF should operate successfully, or pause and resume travel within acceptable shipper delivery windows. [Read more…] about Embark Trucks completes autonomous vehicle testing in snowy conditions